Sharkbait Ch. 71-75

Both of the girls froze as the men came on board. I watched as their noses went high in the air, and their wolves pushed forward. "MATE," I heard each of them growl, too softly for the humans to pick up on. Makani jumped from the stairs into Manuel's arms, and he spun her around as he kissed her. Noelani had come down the other stairs, running into Ricardo's.

They stopped kissing, and each girl took a deep sniff. I could see their faces go from confusion to realization to shock before they pushed their man away. Trading places, they ran into the other male's arms and started kissing their lips and shoulders.

"Noelani? I'm dating your sister," Manuel said as his brother looked on, confused.

"Not anymore," Noelani said as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "You're MINE now."

Ch. 73

I was biting back laughter as I watched the boys looking back and forth like this was a tennis match. Makani finally got Ricardo's attention, pulling him into a deep kiss, and Noelani wasn't far behind. "Oh, Luna, you know how to liven up a party," I sent to Kai.

"Do I have to kill them?" He was not happy watching his little sisters getting hot and bothered with his friends. "They just turned eighteen! And they are still in high school!"

"And they are closer in age than you and Amy are, and you didn't wait until she graduated before you mated her," I replied. "Manuel and Ricardo aren't much older than they are. Still, they are human; things will go slower with them than with a wolf."

"Damn right, they will." He watched as the girls clung to their men as they took them up the stairs and into the salon, finding places on the couch to continue making out. Kai took Amy's hand and followed Fiona and me up the stairs.

I closed the salon sliding door behind me. "Anyone have any ideas how we explain this to the twins without telling them the truth," I asked them all over the link.

"Nope," Kai answered. "Guys," he said loudly, getting their attention. "Go down to the extra stateroom, shower, and change."

The girls didn't want to let them go, but obeying orders was a habit for them. They got up, grabbed their bags, and followed Kai below decks. With three SEALs here, I gave Fiona the night off; she would be back for me after lunch tomorrow.

"Girls, with me." Makani and Noelani followed Amy and me into the kitchen. "This could end up being a mess, so I want you to figure it out now. Call your parents and let them know what is going on before the guys get back up here. Amy, you call Alpha Steven and fill him in. And EVERYONE, start thinking of how we're going to get you out of this situation without revealing the existence of the mate bond."

"Would that be so bad? They ARE our mates," Makani said.

"They're human, and you never know how they will react. If the guys are in love with you, what do you imagine is going to happen now that you've gone all wife swap on them? It's WAY too early for that; you need them to be committed to you before you spring that surprise. Now get going." The twins moved back into the salon, and Amy went down to her stateroom, where her computer was. I started working on dinner. I wasn't their Alpha, but I was the dominant wolf, and the one Alpha Steven left in charge down here.

I'd prepped a big tray of lasagna after lunch, and I pulled that out of the fridge after starting the oven. I had time to slice, butter, and season the Italian bread with garlic before I put the tray inside. I set the timer, then went downstairs to talk to Amy. "You guys decent," I sent.

"Come on in," she said. She and Kai were still on video with Alpha Steven, so I sat on his other side. They were discussing whether the girls would be able to resist the mating impulse with the boys.

"I think you all need to come clean with the twins and with Hammer," Steven said. "The longer this goes on, the greater the chance you don't control how they find out."

"Isn't it too early," I asked.

"Normally, I'd say yes, but we're not dealing with normal people here. The Jimenez boys are warriors, and while they may not feel the full bond with the girls yet, they are loyal to Kai. Exposing their secret would go against that loyalty." I hadn't thought of it that way. They'd been on Kai's boat crew from the beginning, a bond forged through incredible adversity. "Once they get past the idea that the girls switched on them, they'll be fine."

"How do we deal with that," Kai asked. "They were confused about the whole thing. I think they felt they were playing a trick on them."

"With the truth. The girls didn't feel right about how things were going, and seeing them again made them realize they'd matched up with the wrong one. I bet by morning, they're just fine with it."

The morning. Thank Luna that I had a fourth stateroom! I sent the idea to the twins over the link, not knowing what their parents might say. "This weekend will be difficult to pull off; I have the auction tomorrow night, and I need to plan it if we want to be somewhere remote. I can't have them running off, and people are surrounding us here."

"Play it by ear, Vicki. I trust the three of you will help them through this. Ideally, you'd do this at sea where they can't run, and if you have to protect our secret, you take them out."

I didn't even want to think of what it would do to the girls if their men rejected them and what they were. We'd have to kill them to protect our secret, and that would hurt us all. "I'll see about next weekend; I'll see if I can get a Captain down here to take us out."

"Keep me posted," Steven said. "And talk to Susan; it might be best to lay this on Hammer at the same time."

"I'll talk to Mom once we figure it out," Amy replied. "Thank you, Alpha."

"Remember that this is good news," he said. "The girls are truly blessed to find their mates early, and their mates are strong humans. If they make the change, they will be formidable additions to the Pack. Vicki, place Alpha command on them; their wolves are not to shift or claim them without my permission."

"I understand, Alpha. Goodnight." Kai closed up the video call while I asked the girls to come in. They left their men upstairs and filed into the room. "We've got some things to talk about after speaking with Alpha Steven. He's placing Command on you. You are not to shift or claim your mates without his permission." As a mantled Alpha heir, I commanded their wolves to obey. It wasn't as strong as it would be with Steven here, but it would help control their wolves until he could reinforce it.

"Thank you," Noelani said. "My wolf was pushing for control; she wants her mate."

"What did you tell the boys when you saw them? They must have asked what was going on."

"We said we felt like we were better matches this way. They were confused, but we'll get them over it," Makani responded. "I shut down Ricardo when he asked if we were going to have an open relationship thing going on. I told him if he looked at Noelani that way again, he'd be sleeping back on the base."

"My way or the highway," Noelani said. "Manuel couldn't say 'yes ma'am' fast enough."

That was a relief. I pulled a quarter out and looked at Makani. "Call it in the air," I said.

"Heads." It was tails. "Makani, you and Ricardo can take the twin bed up in the crew's quarters. Noelani, you stay in your stateroom." The girls started grinning widely, while Kai began to growl. "You need to be careful, girls. Control your wolves, and don't go too fast. Your first times should be special."

"And you better use these," Amy said as she pulled a box of condoms out of her bedside table. She split them up between the two girls.

"And for Luna's sake, keep the noise down," I said as I looked towards Amy, who started turning red. "I can't believe everyone is getting laid but ME." I walked to the door, heading up the stairs to the main deck. The twins were waiting for their girls to come up, and the girls decided to test them. Standing next to each other, they waited to see who would approach who.

Luckily, Navy men know the right answer when given, and soon the two pairs were engaged in heated liplocks again. I went back to the kitchen and worked on the salads while they moved to the salon. When Amy came up, she and Kai helped set up the outdoor table on the fantail for dinner. It was a pleasant evening, and the breeze would help keep the smell of their pheromones from building up.

With three happy couples and me being the 'plus one,' I felt a little left out. That feeling went away as soon as they all started talking about who they could set me up with on a blind date. Classmates, instructors, students at the Dojo, people at the Marina, all tossed out to my embarrassment. Left to their own devices, I'd be wading through months of pointless dating. "Guys, please. I'm all right," I said. "Honestly, between school, Bodyglove stuff, and preparing to film the series, I don't have TIME for a guy right now."

"Well, your show just got a lot more boring," Kai said with a grin. "You aren't just dragging along a married lady now. The other two have serious boyfriends."

"Serious?" I looked at the Jimenez brothers. "No veo anillos en sus dedos?" (I don't see rings on their fingers?)

"No por mucho tiempo," Manuel replied as Ricardo nodded his head. (Not for long.)

"El que duda está perdido," Noelani said with a grin. (He who hesitates is lost.)

"A menos que quieras que salgamos con otras personas en el extranjero," Makani added. (Unless you want us to date others while overseas.)

The boys looked at each other, panicked. "Where's the nearest jewelry store," Ricardo asked.

"You don't need to do it NOW," I said. "Let's just enjoy the evening." Dinner was good, and Amy cleared the table while I grabbed the dessert out of the oven. Pecan pie with French Vanilla ice cream was the perfect way to end the meal.

The girls cleared the dishes away and went to get drinks, leaving me alone with Kai and his friends. "Are the two of you all right with what happened today?"

"It was weird, but it worked out fine," Manuel said. "Honestly, it kind of fell out that way the first weekend we were over. I would have been cool with either one, but Makani was the one who put lotion on my back, and I didn't want to mess it up."

"Noelani was such a sweet girl; when she came to me, I was happy with it. I'm just glad it's all worked out."

"I was kidding about the rings, guys. You have time. Those girls are falling hard for you, and you don't have to worry about them on our trip. I'll take care of them," I promised.

"Take your time, develop the relationships, and if you get engaged? Make it memorable."

Amy just laughed. "Like you?"

"I fell in love with you the moment I saw you," Kai said. "I wasn't going to wait another moment."

I let out a sigh. "Love-drunk couples surround me," I said. "I have some work to do before bed. You guys enjoy yourselves, and try to keep it down tonight." We all got up and went back inside, and I went down to shower and get ready for bed.

I checked my email and messages; Sotheby's wanted me there for the 2 PM auction start, a time picked to allow the European buyers to get in.

Mercedes asked me to wear two particular dresses she had sent tomorrow, both new designs that would be released soon. The paparazzi would be all over the auction and my evening. She'd scheduled me for a meeting with the Bodyglove executives over dinner, where they wanted to discuss my television series plans.

I pored over budget estimates and the daily report on production issues from Linda Cartwright until my eyes glazed over. I headed to bed, turning on music to drown out the sounds of the happy couples on board.

Ch. 74

I woke up at six-thirty, and the boat was quiet.

Dressing in my workout clothes, I headed to the upper-level deck and the exercise machines next to the outdoor dining room. I started on the treadmill, stretching out at a slower pace for five minutes before beginning my interval training routine. By the time another forty-five minutes was up, I was glistening and panting for breath.

I rolled out the pad and started my yoga routine, stretching out sore muscles as I watched the sun rising over the mountains. The marina was quiet, the parties from last night over. I waved back at an older gentleman who was sitting on his yacht drinking coffee with his morning paper. I had time, so I pulled the cover back on the two-person hot tub and lowered myself in. I left my bike shorts and top on, as the marina was too exposed to go nude. I'd already seen photos of us taken from the parking lot or other boats, and there was no screening around the hot tub.

I pulled out my phone and started looking through messages; there weren't many. One of the first things I did after getting a publicist was to get a new phone number, linked to her account. Anything sent to me that wasn't from one of my approved contact numbers went to her first and was forwarded if I needed to see it. The Three Sisters werewolf with the job was good at her work; she would send responses to fan letters, handle press inquiries, and pass security threats to Fiona from the comfort of her home office. Mercedes offset part of her expense, while I picked up the rest.

Linda had worked with Mercedes to firm up our travel schedule and sent me the dates and places where we would be able to shoot our diving spots during the tour. I'd befriended dozens of scientists and shark researchers through aquarium visits, charitable work, and the two documentaries, so I started with that list of people and composed an email. After a brief introduction to our all-female concept, I got to the meat of the letter.

"I've formed a new company, Sharkbait Productions, Inc, and will be filming segments at different stops during our Bodyglove modeling tour for a shark-diving-based reality show. I'm looking for local female shark experts in these areas who would be willing to host the four of us for a day of diving at a local shark hotspot. We would bring the film crew, including underwater camera operators, and we would hire the boat and crew or pay for expenses that day. Either scuba or free-diving would be welcomed based on local conditions. The expert featured on each episode, along with any boat crew shown, would be paid for their appearance and would be provided with Bodyglove line clothing for the shoot. Please pass this email on if you know of someone who can help, and we will contact them directly. Thank you, Vicki Lawrence, Producer." Below the letter was the list of locations and dates.

I sent the email from the Sharkbait Productions account that Linda and I used. I figured it might take a while, as almost all of my contacts were in the United States and Hawaii, but I was wrong. I had the first response before I got out of the hot tub.

"Got room in there for another," Kai asked as he came up the stairs.

"Sure. Where's Amy?"

"Sleeping." Kai pulled off his shirt and lowered himself in wearing his board shorts. The water level rose to the top, some sloshing over with the jets. "Damn, that feels good."

I couldn't help noticing his body; he was in great shape when they mated, but SEAL training had it at another level. He wasn't bulky, as they didn't build muscles that way, he was strong, with incredible endurance. I could see the various cuts, abrasions, and bruises he'd picked up during the week. "How is training going?"

"The only easy day was yesterday," he said as he closed his eyes. "It never lets up. It was a good week; nobody injured, and nobody rang out." They made it easy to quit, a bell in the courtyard was in view for most training. Ring the bell, and you'd get a hot meal, a cot, and a ticket to do something else in the Fleet. Out of a class of a hundred and forty-six, only twenty-six remained, and they were a little over halfway through the first phase of their training. In a few weeks, they'd be training full-time with no days off for two months.

"How are you handling your sisters finding their mates?"

"I'm better about it this morning," he said. "Amy and I had a long talk. The girls already knew them, and their human sides liked them a lot, which is better than most mates get. I barely knew Amy before our wolves bonded. It also helps that I know the guys, and I know they'll treat them right."

"Did you talk to your parents?"

"Yeah, we called last night after you went to bed. They were surprised but happy. After they didn't find their mates in the Pack, they were sure they were going to be moving out of the region to be with whoever their new mates were. The two could even get split up for the first time in their lives. Having human mates adds some different problems, but they will stay with Three Sisters and stay home."

"You guys could get assigned to Little Creek in Virginia, on the other side of the country."

"True, or we could be here. It's also likely we end up on different teams in different places, with different deployment and training schedules. We'll work it out. Mom understands that when the guys deploy their mates can return home. She'll see the girls more this way than if they mated into another Pack."

"And Amy?"

"That depends on what happens with her Mom and Hammer. If everyone stays here, Amy will stay with you or her Mom when I'm gone. She could also go back to Three Sisters or Miesville."

I saw Amy come up in her exercise clothes, and she kissed her mate before heading to the treadmill for her workout. "What are you guys planning today," I asked.

"The girls want to go shopping," he said. "Susan is coming, so Hammer will be along."

"Go early, so the crowds aren't as bad," I said. "I'll have the Tank and both of my bodyguards, so hire a limo and security if you need it. I'll cover it." Amy wasn't as high-profile as I was, and there would be four SEALS with them, but a driver would be worth it. "Talk to Mall security, or better yet, avoid the malls and go to individual stores. A quick call and you can arrange to shop while the store is closed to the public. Linda has contacts at the stores we normally use." After-hours shopping was the best, and I spent enough to make it worthwhile.

"Good idea," he said.

"I'll be back late tonight, and you guys can come to the Sunday buffet at the Hotel del Coronado tomorrow if you want." The spread there was fantastic, one of the best I'd ever seen. "Admiral Kirk invited me, Hammer, Commander Prentice, and his daughter Jessica out on his dive boat for the afternoon." I'd never turn down a diving trip, and Jessica reminded me of myself when I was twelve. I'd make her day by diving with her.

"You should see if you can bring a camera operator, plus a few Go-Pros," Amy said. I looked up, shocked to think about it. "Why not? There's no starting time, and it would be great for the show. Hell, you should have a camera following you around tonight."

"The auction isn't part of the show," I said.

"It could be. You're going to be there with the rich and famous, and you'll be wearing something hot. You can't use the film you don't make," Amy said.

She was right. "The invitation allows me to bring a guest, and it didn't ban cameras," I thought out loud. I made a quick call to Linda and asked her about it. "I can't distract my security, so whoever it is will have to go as my date," I told her.

"It's kind of late, but let me see what I can do," she said.

While I was waiting, I called up Admiral Kirk. If he wasn't willing to have a camera aboard, there was no point in calling Mark Prentice. "Admiral Kirk, it's Vicki Lawrence. I have a favor to ask for our dive trip tomorrow." I quickly explained how I'd like to take the chance to get some film of me diving with Jessica and the guys tomorrow.